> This explainer is built from Transport Minister Anthony Loke's statements as reported by The Edge Malaysia and Malay Mail (3 April 2026), Malay Mail (15 January 2026), Bernama (3 April 2026), paultan.org (18 August and 15 September 2026) and Mothership (15 February 2026); the New Straits Times report on the Dewan Rakyat passing the RTS Link Bill 2026; and Singapore Ministry of Transport written parliamentary replies on fares and on the Shuttle Tebrau. Nothing here comes from property marketing pages, which have been quoting fares and dates the governments have not confirmed.
Every few weeks another "RTS Link fare revealed" post goes round Johor WhatsApp groups. None of them is official. As of 29 September 2026, two things are settled (roughly when the line opens and how the border check works), and two are not (the fare and the fate of the KTM Shuttle Tebrau). Here is the difference, with who said what.
The date: January 2027, not December
The target has barely moved in three years; how it is described has. In 2023 Loke spoke of the project being ready in December 2026. By January 2026 he was separating the two milestones: construction and systems completed by the end of 2026, passenger operations from January 2027. On 3 April 2026 he told Malay Mail the line was on track for January 2027 and that contractors had asked for no cost revisions.
The same day, The Edge Malaysia reported him saying operations are "slated to start January 2027", with a fault-free run expected to begin in September, followed by trial operations, and all processes targeted for completion by year-end. Loke also said Malaysia has not paid any compensation to Singapore, answering speculation about penalties for delay. (You may see that piece recirculated as recent news; it dates from 3 April.)
The newer news is physical. Loke marked the completion of Bukit Chagar station with a site visit on 18 August 2026, saying the Malaysian-side stations and rail infrastructure were done and the project was entering final integration testing. On 4 September 2026 Singapore's Land Transport Authority declared Woodlands North station complete, describing the line as "on course to begin passenger service in 2027". The Woodlands North station sits 28 metres underground, with its ticketing concourse and arrival hall on Basement 1 and a direct underground transfer to the Thomson-East Coast MRT line.
What is not published is the day. Loke said in August that the actual date will be announced jointly with his Singapore counterpart. Until that statement, any specific January date you see is a guess.
The fare: floated, not fixed
The only figure with an official name attached is around S$5 to S$7 one way, which Loke gave in an interview with Sin Chew Daily reported on 15 February 2026. At today's rates that is very roughly RM15 to RM22, and it was an estimate, not a tariff.
Two other facts matter more than the number:
- The operator sets it. Singapore's Ministry of Transport said in a written parliamentary reply that fares will be "determined commercially by the operator, RTS Operations Pte Ltd", a joint venture of Malaysia's Prasarana and Singapore's SMRT. The operator announces them.
- Do not bank on a commuter discount. Loke said the fare would follow commercial principles without Singapore government subsidy, and that monthly passes or discounts for Malaysian commuters were unlikely on that basis. He also said in August that fare discussions were still going on.
- Two regulators must sign off first. In April 2026 Loke said the proposed fare structure was expected to go to both governments for approval by the third quarter of 2026, and that Malaysia's Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) and Singapore's Land Transport Authority must approve the rates before they are officially announced. On a season pass, he said the government welcomes proposals but any such scheme "must be commercially sustainable". As of 29 September, no approved fare has been made public.
For comparison, the Shuttle Tebrau that the RTS replaces costs RM5 one way from JB Sentral and S$5 from Woodlands, according to Bernama's April 2026 report. The RTS fare in ringgit and in Singapore dollars may not be symmetrical either; nobody has said.
The trip itself
- Route: Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru to Woodlands North station in Singapore, about 4km. Woodlands North is also the northern end of Singapore's Thomson-East Coast MRT line.
- Time: about six minutes on four-car trains with a top operating speed of 80km/h.
- Capacity: up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, with trains every 3.6 minutes at peak. Loke has cited about 40,000 expected daily commuters.
- Getting to Bukit Chagar: it is nearly 300 metres from JB Sentral, and Loke has said the surrounding development should link buildings to JB Sentral by pedestrian walkways. Parking, feeder buses and traffic dispersal around the station have been described as plans in progress, not as finished arrangements.
The border check happens before you board
This is the part that changes the experience most. Under the co-located model, you complete Malaysian exit and Singapore entry at Bukit Chagar before boarding (and the reverse at Woodlands North), so you step off the train into the other country without queueing again.
It needed new law. The Dewan Rakyat passed the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link Bill 2026 in February. It lets Singapore officers at Bukit Chagar require travel documents, search passengers with consent, and arrest people suspected of offences under Singapore law relating to CIQ and security. Those powers take effect only if Singapore gives Malaysian officers at Woodlands North equal protection.
The Bukit Chagar complex has 100 e-gate lanes (including lanes for travellers without luggage), 10 security screening lanes and 18 baggage scanners. It is an international crossing, so bring your passport. How Malaysian e-gates at the Causeway currently work, including the MyNIISe app, is covered in our autogate guide linked below.
What happens to the Shuttle Tebrau
Under a Malaysia-Singapore agreement, all KTMB railway services in Singapore cease within six months of RTS Link passenger service beginning. Singapore's Ministry of Transport restated this in 2023, noting that the shuttle carries fewer than 10,000 people a day while the RTS can carry 10,000 an hour.
In April 2026 Loke said Malaysia had asked Singapore to allow the shuttle to continue temporarily after the RTS opens, and that no decision had been received. Bernama described the shuttle as running 31 trips each way a day. Until both governments say otherwise, assume the shuttle ends no later than about mid-2027 if the RTS opens in January. Cross-border buses and ferries are not affected.
What to do now
Nothing needs buying or registering yet. Ticketing, payment methods and fares will come from RTS Operations. When the joint announcement lands, check three things before planning a daily commute around it: the one-way fare in both currencies, first and last train times, and whether e-gate enrolment for Malaysians changes at Bukit Chagar.
